March 15, 2023 | Posted in Business, Marketing | By

Your customer is reading your business’s Google Reviews right now. They’re looking at the different businesses in their neighborhood and trying to figure out which one they should choose for their next purchase or service. Why? Because your customers are natural shoppers. They want to do their research and find the best places to buy things and get services they need, so they check multiple businesses before making a decision. And when they see a high-quality Google Review from past customer who has just had a great experience with a business, their trust level goes up instantly!

People will listen to friends, family and what going reviews are saying before they will listen to what a brand is saying to them, another important element of why you need to focus on getting more Google Review. If you have any questions about why it’s so important for your business to have high-quality reviews on Google, keep reading…

What makes Google Reviews so important?

If you’ve been looking at our earlier blog posts on the topic of Google reviews and thought, “I’m not a business, so what’s the big deal?” Then we want you to sit down and think about something for a second. If you go to the grocery store or a department store, do you ever ask a cashier or sales clerk how long they’ve been working there? If you’re like most people, you don’t ask that question. You don’t care who’s been working there for a long time. All you care is if they know their stuff and are able to help you find what you need when you need it.

So why would you want to know more about the people who may be helping you get what you need? It’s simple. It’s because when you look up a business online — like a Google review — your trust levels go up when you see that a customer is happy with their experience. This is why you have to have as many Google reviews for your business as possible.

How to get more Google Reviews for your business

  • If you are fortunate enough to have a few happy customers right now who are willing to write reviews, ask them to help you out with a Google review. You can also put up a “review us on Google” sign to draw more attention to these reviews.
  • Have someone in your business read and edit all of your online reviews. You’ll be surprised at how many mistakes are made on these reviews.
  • Always respond to negative reviews. If someone has a complaint about your business, you have a right to address it.
  • Buy some social media advertising. This is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to boost your business’s presence and gain new customers.
  • Cross promote reviews on your website, within email, on social media and in print

If you are Writing a Review – Tips for Writing Great Google Reviews

  • Use a business name in your review.
  • Address your review to the person, not the company.
  • Don’t make it a long review. You can’t put too much info in 500 words.
  • Be on-topic. If you start ranting and raving, it’s going to look like a bad review.
  • Don’t be negative. You can’t be negative in a review because then your customers will see it and think less of your business.
  • Don’t be impersonal. If you want to say something (like how your service or product was great or how helpful the employee was), write it in the review.
  • Proofread your review before you post it.
  • Don’t be afraid to delete reviews. Your customers have the most room to critique your business in a review, so if you delete their comments because they aren’t “correct” you’re just setting yourself up to fail.
  • Respond to every review. This may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised at how many businesses don’t respond to negative reviews.

Why You Should Care About Your Google Reviews

Google reviews are more than just what the customer is saying but it is also how reviews can help increase your organic search rankings and overall SEO results. Reviews are a strong signal to the search engines that speak to your trustworthiness and authority.

Conclusion

Google is the most important source of online reviews you can get. If someone is searching online for a business, they’re going to look at reviews before deciding which business to patronize. And if they see a bad review for your business, they’re going on to look for an alternative. So, improving your Google reviews is key to improving your business’ online reputation. If you have any questions about why it’s so important for your business to have high-quality reviews on Google, please let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!

More about Bernie…

Senior Director, Consumer Media Group at Confluent Health – Growth marketing focus on brand awareness, interest and new patient acquisition to our 44+ partner brands and 530+ locations across the US. Accountable for driving yearly business results supported by our consumer strategy and direct-to-consumer roadmaps. The Media team is responsible for owned and paid media as it relates to performance marketing, campaign management, partnerships, website development & support, search engine optimization, relationship marketing, Yext (Google My Business) support, recruiting, email marketing and supporting our partners at the local level.

Chief Cheese – Strategy & Engagement at B2The7 – Helping brands Reach, Retain & Regain customers with Omni-Channel data-driven strategies and tactics that focus on increasing sales, transactions, comps and customer engagement.

B2The7 Photography – Sharing experiences with photography: nature, landscapes, sunsets, flowers, animals and more.

Helping job seekers & recruiters daily…Founder of Careerbarn.com – Bringing jobseekers and employers together since 2000.